অজন্তা মেন্ডিস

Ajantha Mendis is an unorthodox spinner with a wide repertoire of deliveries in his arsenal. He can bowl the off-break, googly, leg-break, flipper, top-spinner as well as his trademark carrom ball -- wherein he uses his middle finger to flick the ball out of his hand. Mendis' strength is his pin-point accuracy, always pitching the ball on the stumps leaving the batsman with no room for error.

After some outstanding performances at the school level, Sri Lanka Army Cricket Committee noticed his talents when he played a cricket match against the Army under 23 Division 11 during the 2003/2004 tournaments. Mendis joined the army shortly after his father passed away.

Mendis' bowling style was unique and the army coaches never tried to tamper with it. Instead, they ensured Mendis became more disciplined and worked on his off-break as the stock delivery. In his debut first-class game, Mendis went wicket-less, but things were to change dramatically. He picked a five-for in the next game and went on to pick 43 wickets in the season. He bettered his performance the next season, taking 68 wickets from 9 games at a jaw-dropping average of 10.51. Unsurprisingly, he was fast-tracked to the national side for the tour of West Indies in March 2008, picking up 3 wickets in his first 2 ODIs.

But it was during the Asia Cup in June 2008 that Mendis arrived on the international stage. He took his first five-for against UAE before taking a four-wicket haul against Pakistan in the next game. He was made to sit out of the league game against finalists India, but he ran through the famed Indian line-up to finish with stunning figures of 6/13 to help his team lift the trophy - a 'very satisfying moment' by his own admission. He was named man of the series for his 17 wickets in the tournament, a feat that led to his inclusion in the Test squad.

Mendis made his test debut soon after when India toured the island nation, picking up 8/132 in his first test, the best figures by a Sri-Lankan on debut. The likes of Rahul Dravid and V.V.S Laxman were all at sea against Mendis. With 26 wickets (ave.18.38) in the series, Mendis passed Alec Bedser's world record for most wickets by a bowler on his debut in a three-Test series, picking up another player of the series award for his efforts.

He continued to bamboozle batsmen in the ODIs, racing to 50 wickets in only 19 games, breaking the record held by Ajit Agarkar (23 games).

Ajantha Mendis won the Emerging Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards ceremony held in Dubai in September 2008.

He also holds the unique distinction of being the only bowler to claim a 6-fer in T20Is. Well, what more? Mendis has accomplished that feat twice.

The early plaudits began to fade away into the oblivion with batsmen and analysts gradually laying bare the mystery of Mendis. The slide has been so dramatic that Mendis in no longer a cinch in the Sri Lankan playing XI. The rapid progress of Rangana Herath including the emergence of Sachitra Senanayake has doubled the pressure on Mendis. He may hold a clutch of records but lacks consistency. One day he can be unplayable, the next day he would dish out buffet balls.

After little success in his stints with Kolkata Knight Riders and the now-defunct Pune Warriors, Mendis went unsold in the 2014 Indian T20 League auction.

by Mayank Wadhi and Deivarayan Muthu

As of April 2014